Where I Live

Library service reveals short story contest winners

Two engaging tales of the unexpected have won the Oxfordshire Libraries 2017 short story competition – earning countywide exposure for their authors.

Grove resident Jez Fernandez (main picture) triumphed in the adult category with ‘Time of Death’, a brilliant tale with a twist, centring on the surprising things found floating down a river.

The winner of the young adult category was Abingdon and Witney College student Eleanor Launchbury. Her story ‘Connected’ explores the idea of people coming together in unexpected places.

The winning titles are both now available for free on the library Overdrive eBook service. Library members can access them by visiting www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/ebooks and selecting ‘Overdrive’.

“Ecstatic”

Mr Fernandez, who works as a professional trainer and coach, said: “This was the first short story I’d written since school and I'm ecstatic to have won this competition. I can also officially call myself a ‘prize-winning author’, which was one of my objectives!”

Miss Launchbury added: “I enjoy writing and am really glad to have won the Oxfordshire Libraries Short Story Competition 2017. I love reading, and have been a library member all my life, so it has been really great to be a winner.”

Young Adult category winner Eleanor launchbury

Popular read

Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Cultural Services Lorraine Lindsay-Gale said: “Last year’s winners were some of the most-read eBooks available from our libraries and I’m sure Jez and Eleanor’s work will be similarly popular with readers this year.

“I’d like to congratulate them both on their fantastic stories, which saw off some pretty stiff competition from budding authors who entered the competition from right across Oxfordshire.”

Both authors hope to go on writing in the future. Anyone wanting to see what made them this year’s outstanding wordsmiths can read their stories at www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/ebooks